


it's possible you can be really, genuinely cool

by another_Hero



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Gen, Movie Night, Platonic Slumber Party, slumber party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28581672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/another_Hero/pseuds/another_Hero
Summary: Ted's staying the night with Alexis, which means David needs to be ANYWHERE else. Patrick, it turns out, is camping tonight. But Ray invites David in to watch Notting Hill, and like...it'sNotting Hill
Relationships: Ray Butani & David Rose
Comments: 47
Kudos: 69
Collections: platonic slumber party of platonic slumber parties





	it's possible you can be really, genuinely cool

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doingthemost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doingthemost/gifts).



> title is from Notting Hill
> 
> I have literally not reread this once. if there are any very egregious like unfinished sentences or anything, please tell me lol

The door opened while his hand was still in the air. Not that Patrick usually made him wait, but Ray must have been  _ right _ on the other side of the door. Because it was Ray who’d answered, not Patrick, which—that was fine. But also, not great? Because Patrick had said he was going to be busy tonight, and if he wasn’t here and David had to wander the streets like some vagabond until he finally gave up and busted down Stevie’s door, well, that wasn’t going to go well for any of them. Except Patrick, who wouldn’t be here to suffer like he deserved. “Hi, Ray,” David said weakly.

“David!” Ray said warmly, opening the door to let him in. David went in automatically, and once Ray had closed the door, he said, “Are you here to pick something up?”

“I, um. I was hoping Patrick would be here?”

“Oh!” said Ray, “what a shame! Patrick is camping tonight! Surely he told you?”

David nodded. “He told me he was going to be out of touch, so I...I guess I could have put that together.”

“But I am happy to help you with anything you need! Well, not  _ anything _ , of course, but I do believe I’m generally considered quite helpful.”

It was a bad idea to tell Ray anything about his life. But also? Alexis was being a little b, and Ray knowing her business might just be a logical consequence. He gave a grimace. “Ted’s apartment has a water...leak...situation,” he explained, “and Alexis has invited him to stay with her, and they are unfortunately  _ impossible _ to be around.”

“Ah,” Ray said sympathetically. “Well, I’m no Patrick, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you staying in his bed. I was just about to start watching  _ Notting Hill _ , if you’d like to join me.”

And he couldn’t—obviously he wasn’t going to just sit here and watch a movie with Ray, that wasn’t a thing he would be doing, but— _ Notting Hill _ .

“Well, it’ll be a moment, actually; I have to pop the popcorn and get out the snacks first.”

“I...would love to watch  _ Notting Hill _ with you. Thank you, Ray.”

Which was how David ended up on one end of the couch with Ray on the other and an impressive spread of cookies, crackers, and cheese on the coffee table. It was—not terrible? Surprisingly pleasant. Ray knew which moments required silent, reverent attention, and he had surprisingly cogent and developed opinions when he did venture them, the kind that had to be honed through repeated viewings. David hadn’t actually spent much time with Ray—frankly, he’d spent a lot of time actively avoiding Ray—but however odd it was to sit here with him, it was certainly better than watching Alexis and Ted  _ fondle _ each other while pretending their behavior was acceptable for public viewing. So all right, the bar Ray had to clear was very, very low. But at one point, Ray said, “Oh, that  _ dress _ ,” and David was surprised to realize he was having a good time.

“All right, well,” Ray said when the credits started to roll, “I was planning to watch  _ 10 Things I Hate About You _ after this, and you’re welcome to join me, but don’t feel obligated! I like to stay up a little late on weekends.” It was not yet 8PM.

“Ray,” David said very seriously, pausing in his retrieval of a Tim-Tam—and honestly, where was Ray getting Tim-Tams in rural Ontario? could David order them through him?—“I am  _ always _ ready to watch  _ 10 Things I Hate About You _ .”

“Oh, good!” said Ray. “As I always say, if you’re going to enjoy the company of one Julia, why not two?”

“A maxim to live by,” David agreed fervently.

“I can’t believe we’ve never done this before,” Ray said, “I mean with Patrick present, of course,” and David was surprised to find that he...sort of agreed? For one thing, he could spend a lot more time here in the evenings if he had a reason to spend it with Ray.

So, “Have you seen  _ Hustlers _ ?” David hadn’t, actually, but he’d read about it, and he took the Elmdale Art House’s failure to show it despite his  _ repeated _ requests very personally. “It’s based on a true story, so I think we could talk Patrick into watching it.”

“Oh, several times,” Ray assured him, “but I’m happy to watch it again! Just send me a couple times that would work for you and Patrick, I have a very busy schedule.”

“For sure,” said David. By this point, Ray had gotten the next movie started, which was for the best, since David didn’t actually have much to talk with him about outside of movies. But he was a little more comfortable now, ready to laugh a little at Allison Janney and swoon a little at Julia and Heath. Ray laughed along, and David figured for a night he’d otherwise have spent trying to ignore Ted and Alexis making out three feet away, it wasn’t bad, actually. The water was actually hot here, and Ray was so fast in the bathroom, at least compared to Alexis, and Patrick’s bed was bigger than David’s bed at the motel. Maybe it was a little weird for him to stay here without telling Patrick, but if Patrick wanted to stop David escaping into his bed, he shouldn’t have gone to sleep in the woods, where bugs and also bears lived, and also...David was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind.

So it had already been a fun night, a weirdly good night, even before Ray made  _ waffles _ in the morning. Stevie could take some notes, he thought, from Ray. He had whipped cream and chocolate sauce for them. He had  _ raspberries _ . Patrick didn’t have to come back, actually, David could just steal his life and chat with Ray over breakfast about where the fuck he found Tim-Tams out here and eat his raspberry waffles. “I special-order the cookies,” Ray told him. “I stock up on a different kind every couple of months to get a bulk price.”

David could never do that; Alexis and Stevie would eat them all. He took a second waffle, and Ray offered him more chocolate sauce, and obviously he took that as well. He would go back to the motel soon—he couldn’t just move in at Ray’s, or mope around waiting for Patrick to come home. He hadn’t brought enough skincare supplies. But for the moment, he took the chocolate sauce. “Thanks, Ray,” he said, and he meant it.


End file.
